Paul Quinn College To Host Rally Honoring Trayvon Martin

Friday, March 23, is Trayvon Martin Day – a day to remember and honor the Florida teen who was gunned down by a neighborhood vigilante in February in Sanford, Florida, a city near Orlando.

Paul Quinn College, members of the Quinnite Nation and its friends from area communities will stand in support of the call for justice for Martin’s killer by hosting the Trayvon Martin Day rally at noon on the patio of the Isabell and Comer Cotrell Student Union Building.

On February 26, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed while walking home from a neighborhood convenience store. In one hand, he held a can of Arizona Ice Tea, and in the other a bag of Skittles. They were snacks for him and his younger brother as they prepared to watch the NBA All-Star game that night.

However, Martin did not make it home. Instead, he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch resident looking for any person that may be involved in suspicious activity. A chase ensued and as Martin attempted to evade Zimmerman, he pulled his hoodie over his head. After a brief confrontation, a single shot rang out.

Panicked neighbors called police hoping to assist the person with the shrill pleas for help in the background. Then, one more single shot rang. The student with good grades who “majored in cheerfulness,” according to his high school English teacher, had died. The man who killed him – and who has confessed to Martin’s slaying — is a free man.

Accusations of police cover up began to surround the tragic case of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and his family has said that the killing was not racially motivated. The conversations from the 911 tapes tell a different story. Martin’s family has stood steadfast calling the Sanford police department to bring Zimmerman to justice. On March 23, the nation will stand with them.

The Quinnite Nation invites the entire Dallas- Fort Worth community to don a hoodie and come stand in unity for Trayvon Martin. The greater message in this melee is that Martin could have been anyone’s brother, cousin, son, friend, and that a death like his can happen again. Lady Jade and the morning crew from KKDA (104.5-FM) will join Dexter Evans, a student leader at Paul Quinn College, to lead the rally. The event is free and open to the public, and wearing a hoodie is strongly encouraged.